Why prosecutors won’t pursue charges against Petersburg city manager

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

Why prosecutors won’t pursue charges against Petersburg city manager

PETERSBURG, Va. (WTVR) – Misdemeanor assault and battery charges against Petersburg City Manager William Johnson have been nolle prossed, according to CBS 6 senior reporter Wayne Covil who was in court today. Johnson was charged with the crime in February after police were called to his home to investigate a domestic dispute between Johnson and his wife.

A special prosecutor handling the case said she made the decision not to pursue charges against Johnson for three reasons:

Johnson was a first-time offender

Johnson has completed an anger management class

Johnson and his wife are in counseling

Johnson has been the Petersburg City Manager since June 2011. He was allowed to keep his job during the investigation and throughout the legal process.